Save your money on the Phil Gordon Green Book
Here is a synopsis I wrote I while back which summarizes all of his advice into 4+ pages:
Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book Tips
The greatest poker players in the world share five qualities:
- They are invariably aggressive. Aggressive poker is winning poker. They apply pressure to their opponents with bets and raises.
- They are patient. They wait for situations at the table that are profitable.
- They are courageous. They don’t need the stone-cold nuts to bet, call, or raise.
- They are observant. They watch their opponents during every hand.
- They are always working on their game and want to be even better players. They talk about the game with other players. They practice. They read poker books. They analyze their play and work to plug “leaks” that have developed.
Winning Poker is about making correct decisions. Before playing a hand, a good set of questions to ask yourself:
-Should I play this hand? (Good starting qualities, position, 1
st into pot, etc)
-How much should I raise? (rarely limp)
-Do I have the best hand? (what’s the likelihood?)
-Can I get my opponent to fold?
You don’t have to win the most pots. You just have to make better decisions more often than your opponents do.
Master your own behavior while manipulating your opponents behavior.
Get as much money as you can into the pot when you have the best hand.
Play your hand the way you would if you could see all the cards. If you play differently than you would if you could see the cards, then your opponents gain.
Call when you have the right pot odds, not just because you have the best hand.
Every time it’s your turn to bet – Think! First analyze:
-How have my opponents been playing?
-What are the likely hands they play?
-What do my opponents think I have?
-Am I in a good or bad position?
Once you have those questions answered, then think about
:
-Should I bet (or raise)?
-Should I check (or fold)?
-Always think about a call or raise BEFORE a check or fold.
Keep your money away from strong players and do your best to get money from weak players. Pick them out and act accordingly.
It shouldn’t matter if there are several good players at a table. If you see a fish/weak player – go after HIM, especially when they are in the blinds.
Go out of your way to play small pocket pairs verses weak players, because if you flop a set
you will be paid off well by players who over bet their top pair.
Never bluff verses a calling station.
Steal hands from tight players when they are on the bubble. Loosen up a bit.
Consider playing 70-80% of your hands when you can be in a superior position. And avoid playing strong players outside a strong position.
Wait for a situation where you are the first player to put money into a pot, then come in with a 3X raise. Don’t overuse this tactic, players will pick up on this quick and may automatically re-raise you 3X.
In a “live” game, never look at your cards until it’s your turn to bet. Use that time to study those who do. What are their reactions? What did they do? Look at chips?
When first in the pot – raise! Do this the majority of the time and not just with premium hands. This action limits the competition. A major point!
Goal is to take control of the betting and keep it. Be the table captain.
By raising in, it helps you to define your opponents hands better when they call. You can eliminate a lot more hands they could be holding. By always raising in when you’re 1
st in the pot makes it difficult for opponents to get a read on your cards. Raising always gives you a chance at stealing the blinds.
Reasons to limp in:
-You have a very strong hand and believe someone behind you will raise.
-Players in the blinds are weak post flop.
-To aid in deception, but use it rarely.
-With mediocre hands to try to see a cheap flop.
Do not vary the size of your raise based upon your hand’s strength. Keep raise sizes about the same. If a 3X raise is not enough to scare off your opponents then tighten up your starting hands and raise more than 3X. Experiment to see what multiplier tends to work with this table.
Tend to call limpers with hands that can stand up well to multi-way action. Hands like suited Aces, suited connectors, small to medium pocket pairs.
If limpers were ahead of you, avoid limping with: QJ, QT, Q9, Q8, JT, J9, T9, T8 (all unsuited).
Limpers from the middle positions rarely hold premium pocket pairs.
Smooth calla raiser from UTG with suited cards that he is unlikely to have, like middle to upper suited connectors or suited 1-offs like 97s. When the flop looks like it would miss him, it puts big pressure on him. If they check, a simple bet can take the pot. Use this tactic against players who play relatively straightforward poker.
Playing from the Small Blind Guidelines. If everyone folds to you:
-fold against good players in the BB if you hold a crap hand. You are out of position.
-Raise 3-3.5X 75% of the time. Other 25% is when you have strong hand and opponent is also strong (induce him to raise).
If you are in the Big Blind and everyone folds to the blinds and Small Blind limps in – almost always raise to test them early on in a tournament. This may give you an indication on what they might do later on in a tourney.
Assuming no raises ahead of you, when in the small blind, play about 65% of your hands when there are no antes and play about 95% of your hands when there are antes (because you are essentially paying almost a full blind anyway). Tend to play any Ace, most any King, any Queen down to Q6, any Jack down to J5, low suited connectors and suited 1-offs.
Try to play/lose as little as possible when playing from the Small Blind. You are always out of position and at a disadvantage.
Raising verses Limpers in late position tips:
-You must already have a tight image, doesn’t take a good hand, just courage!
-Raise the size of the pot. Or 3X plus 1BB for each limper.
-If you are called, at least you know what kind of hand you are up against and you have position on them.
When you have a great hand in late position (AA, KK, AKs, QQ):
-When player ahead raises 3X – you re-raise 3X his bet.
-If you are in the blinds then you must re-raise higher (4X-5X)
Vary your 1
st into the pot raise based upon your position and not your hand strength.
-2.5 to 3X from early positions
-3X to 3.5X from middle positions
-3.5X to 4X from late positions
Daniel Negreanu thinks raises should be about 5X from any position. This may be overkill but may be over the comfort level to those players who tend to re-raise your opening raises with position.
From experience, a 2X raise only tends to invite callers or re-raisers. At some tables, a 3X raise isn’t enough to keep marginal hands from calling. A 4X raise is typically good enough for steals. Anything higher, 5X or more tends to scream the fact that you are playing a mid to upper pocket pair and don’t want to be called. In the extreme, a 10X or all-in pre-flop raise from late position or blinds is a move you can occasionally use against a table full of limpers.
The 30% Rule: If your standard raise is more than 30% of your entire stack then just go all-in instead. This move is difficult to defend against. Only premium hands will call this (or a big stack who can easily cover your bet). Don’t use this too often else you may get trapped.
Remember, the flop betting round is a posturing round. It is typically a test to see how interested a player is in the hand. Bets and Raises here are searching for information. How much to bet depends on position and how your opponents tend to play. This becomes increasingly difficult the smaller your stack is compared to your opponents.
After the flop, if you are playing from the blinds and a low to medium pair is showing on the board with no flush draw – try betting 1/3
rd to ½ the pot no matter what you hold.
Be more aggressive with your play when you see a flush draw potential showing on the board.
On a full table, you goal is always to play a hand with as few opponents as possible. Heads up is optimal. The more players in a hand, the harder it is to win. Tend to stay away from hands with 2 or more players already in the hand. Your hand has to be that much better than others to play in a multi-way pot.
First build your reputation as a tight aggressive player and your raises will get more respect. Vary raises by position from 2.5X to 4X.
Instead of using pot sized bets (post flop), try betting 50% of the pot. Save a bit on your bets. This only gives them 3-to-1 odds. Pot sized bets won’t allow you to build a pot unless they too have a hand.
If you raised pre-flop, tend to make a continuation bet about 65% of the time. (2 out of 3). This number is based on the fact that your opponent will make a hand about 35% of the time (1 pair or better).
Tend to expect a player to be playing middle cards when they limp in.
If you know a player to use check-raises and you are in position, tend to check when they check to you.
Avoid playing out of position whenever you can. Strive to have the last to bet spot on a hand.
If all limpers were ahead of you and you are playing from the blinds, tend to make the 1
st bet after the flop to put pressure on them.
If the flop looks like you may have made your hand then you will tend not to get much action. Thus, you must tend to get more money into the pot earlier. Use the flop round as a pot builder. Decide on the turn how to play more often. Use Fit or Fold mentality only about 65% of the time.
Have a legitimate hand about 75% of the time when you make a bet. Other 25% use a bluff as a blind steal attempt.
Give players an opportunity to make a mistake.
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